JPL has just released a new video that captures the 'thrills and chills' of landing NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars at about 10:31 pm Pacific Time on Sunday August 5th. Engineers who designed the entry, descent and landing (EDL) system candidly talk about the new landing system, and describe the challenges of Curiosity's final moments before touchdown. .mov files are available at several resolutions, as well as a captioned version and a pdf file of the narration, at the following link: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia ... x.cfm?v=49.

Don't forget to let us know if you are planning Mars-related events! You can register your events on the Year of the Solar System website here: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/feedback/in ... SSCalendar. Also make sure to check out the 'Get Involved' page to find other events near you!

Around the time of the rover's landing, a new Explore module (Explore: Life on Mars?) will be available on this website! The module will provide facilitator background information, resource lists, and hands-on activities for children (ages 8 to 13) to investigate how and why scientists search for past or present microbial life on Mars. Stay tuned for further updates about this module! In the meantime, you can learn more about the missions by visiting the mission webpage here: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) will deliver the Curiosity rover to Mars at approximately 1:31 a.m. EDT on Aug. 6, 2012. (That is, the radio signals transmitted at landing will arrive on Earth at this time; it will take about 14 minutes for the radio signals from the rover on Mars to reach Earth.) The rover, carrying laboratory instruments to analyze samples of rocks, soil and atmosphere, will investigate whether Mars has ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life.

NASA's most advanced Mars rover Curiosity has landed on the Red Planet. The one-ton rover, hanging by ropes from a rocket backpack, touched down onto Mars Sunday to end a 36-week flight and begin a two-year investigation. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft that carried Curiosity succeeded in every step of the most complex landing ever attempted on Mars, including the final severing of the bridle cords and flyaway maneuver of the rocket backpack. Curiosity landed at 10:32 p.m. PDT Aug. 5, (1:32 a.m. EDT Aug. 6) near the foot of a mountain three miles tall and 96 miles in diameter inside Gale Crater. The rover will investigate whether the region ever offered conditions favorable for microbial life.

Remarkable image sets from NASA's Curiosity rover and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) are continuing to develop the story of Curiosity's landing and first days on Mars. Curiosity's latest images are available at: http://1.usa.gov/MfiyD0.

The Mars Participate site includes the 3D interactive experience, the Kinect Xbox experience, Be A Martian, social media, and activities for kids, students, and educators: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate/.